Grants Will Fuel Development of Biofuels and Electric Vehicles for California

SACRAMENTO - The Energy Commission Wednesday unanimously approved funding of more than $15 million to projects that will advance biofuels and electric vehicle research in California. By leveraging outside funding, some of these projects can attract additional investment in green technology and jobs.

"These awards will move us further down the road toward a green transportation system," said Energy Commissioner Carla Peterman. "By supporting these innovative projects, we're helping to make Californians healthy, productive and prepared with the energy options we need to fuel our future."

These grants are provided through the Energy Commission's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program. The program, created by Assembly Bill 118 (Núñez, Chapter 750, Statutes of 2007), provides approximately $100 million annually to encourage the development and use of new vehicle technologies and alternative and renewable fuels to help attain the state's climate change policies.

The award recipients are:

California Institute of Technology, located in Pasadena, will receive $5 million to fund the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), established in 2010 as a U.S. Department of Energy Energy Innovation Hub. The JCAP team, which includes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is working to develop revolutionary methods of generating biofuels from sunlight, in a process akin to natural photosynthesis. This award helps to fulfill a cost-sharing target for the recipient's $122 million award from the Department of Energy.

Rand Corporation, based in Santa Monica, will receive $4,474,558 to evaluate the Energy Commission's Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program and projects. The evaluation will consider the impacts, processes, market effects and costs of the program, and will help to guide future program efforts.

Electricore Inc. will receive $2,325,954 to demonstrate battery-electric medium-duty trucks. Electricore Inc., based in Valencia (Los Angeles County), will administer the project, and ZeroTruck of Laguna Niguel (Orange County) will build up to 14 trucks for the project. ZeroTruck will provide match funding of $948,424. The trucks will be tested in various locations, including Google in the Bay Area, the City of Santa Monica and the Port of Los Angeles.

Electric Power Research Institute, based in Palo Alto, will receive $964,210 to retrofit five existing heavy-duty diesel work trucks with a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrain system. The project will demonstrate the performance, fuel savings and emissions reductions for the work trucks in Southern California. The demonstration vehicles include tree maintenance trucks and a telephone pole installation truck.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in Berkeley, will receive $1 million as match funding for a $3.75 million project to demonstrate vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology for an all-electric heavy duty non-tactical vehicle fleet at Los Angeles Air Force Base. The fleet vehicles will be used to explore the revenue-generating capability of V2G technology by participating in the California's electricity markets, where the vehicles can at different times charge from the grid and also discharge energy into the grid to meet demand. The Department of Defense is providing $2.75 million for the project at the lab, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

New Leaf Biofuel LLC will receive $511,934 to expand the production capacity of its existing biodiesel facility, from 1.5 million to 5 million gallons a year. New Leaf, located in San Diego, collects used cooking oil from more than 1,500 restaurants and industrial kitchens and converts it into biodiesel. Users of New Leaf fuel include the U.S. Navy, and the cities of San Diego, Oceanside and Chula Vista.

Buy-down incentives of $1,074,000 for 46 alternative-fuel vehicles. These incentives help pay the difference between the cost of conventional gas- or diesel-powered vehicles and new vehicles that use propane or natural gas. Eligible vehicles meet all the emission requirements of the Air Resources Board and are fully warranted by their manufacturers. Purchased vehicles must be registered and driven in California at least 90 percent of the time for three years.

The buy-down incentives approved today go to the following companies.

TEC of California Inc. (Oakland) received $884,000 for the buy-down of 34 natural gas Mack Truck vehicles in the heavy-duty gross vehicle weight range of 26,001 pounds or greater.

Villa Ford Inc. (Orange) received $60,000 for the buy-down of three natural gas Ford Motor Company vehicles in the medium-duty gross vehicle weight range of 14,001 to 26,000 pounds.

Tom's Truck Center (Santa Ana) received $50,000 for the buy-down of five propane medium-duty vehicles of 14,001 to 26,000 pounds gross weight. The vehicles are manufactured by Anaheim-based Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc.

The Energy Commission is the state's primary energy policy and planning agency. Created by the Legislature in 1974 and located in Sacramento, six basic responsibilities guide the Energy Commission as it sets state energy policy: forecasting future energy needs; licensing thermal power plants 50 megawatts or larger; promoting energy efficiency and conservation by setting the state's appliance and building efficiency standards; supporting public interest energy research that advances energy science and technology through research, development, and demonstration programs; developing renewable energy resources and alternative renewable energy technologies for buildings, industry and transportation; planning for and directing state response to energy emergencies.